Bleak and powerful, Finland's Swallow the Sun's latest offering is a masterpiece of mood metal whose eight tracks cast ominous shadows and apocalyptic vibes of despair. Falling into the Opeth/ Katatonia category, the songs presented on HOPE are monumental in sheer sound density, churning out grave tempos with huge metal riffs on tracks like "Too Cold For Tears" to well-textured and moderately-tempo synth-laden doom metal like "These Hours of Despair" with the somber thickness of their peers. If you enjoy a little melancholy in your metal, Swallow the Sun is worth a spin.www.candlelightrecordsusa.com
- Mike SOS